Mailable display holder



Patented Mar. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAILABLE DISPLAY HOLDER Albert Mathewson, Mount Vernon, N. Y. Application December 10, 1946, Serial No. 715,167

position completely to enclose and protect the message or picture for mailing, and then folded to another positionto form an easel-supported card to exhibit the message or picture.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide cards with a flap attached to the back thereof which can be folded laterally out to serve as aleg by which the card can be stood up. Such devices have distinct disadvantages; first because the cards are not very steady when they are in upright position, and second because the angle at which the card is presented is fixed and often does not suit the location in which it is desired to place the card.

It is an object of this invention to provide a card which may, if desired, be made of a single piece, and which when folded to the upright position will give a firm easel support to the picture or message, and at the same time will permit the card to be tilted at whatever angle is most suitable.

The invention accordingly com-prises a device possessing the features, properties and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a card made in accordance with this invention, in the folded position, looking at the address side. Fig. 2 is a similar view from the back side. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the card is folded. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the card from the back when folded to the upright position. Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a modified form of blank, from which the card of Figs. 7 and 8 may be folded. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the modified form of card in the upright position, and Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

The card of Figs. 1 to 5 as shown comprises a sheet divided by fold lines IO, N, l2, I3, l4, l5, l6, and I! into sections 2|], 2|, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 21, and 28. Of these, fold lines l0, l2, l3, l6, and I1 are backward as seen from the front and fold lines H, M, and i5, are forward.

Sections 2|) and 2| are of the full size of the 2 Claims. (Cl. 40-124.1)

display portion of the card, and are folded flat against each other along line l0 and pasted together along the lower edge opposite fold line II. This leaves a side opening pocket between thesesections to receive a picture or message as desired. The section 20 has a sight opening 30 to expose the picture.

The section 22 is of a width to extend from the bottom up to a mid-position where the fold line l2 may serve as the hinge to give the easel effect.

Section 23 is only slightly wider than section 22 so that it may extend down to fold H and permit sections 24, '25, and '26 to lie flat over the face of section 20. These three sections are of a size to permitfold Hi to fold over the fold H] with sections 2! and 28 lying flat on the back.

In this manner the entire card may be folded clockwise, as seen in Fig. 5 into the flat position of Figs. 1 and 2.

Section 28 is divided into two portions by a weakened tear line 3|. The outer half 32 of this section is gummed upon the back while the other half 33 is gummed on the front.

The device is closed in fiat position by gumming section 32 to section 23 for mailing. To open the sealed card, section 33 is torn from section 32 and folded counter-clockwise until section 33 again comes into contact with section 23 where it is gummed in turn. The position of the gumming determines the stability of the card. I therefore prefer to place lines 35, 36 upon the section 23 to indicate the proper position for the edges of sections 32 and 33 respectively.

When it is desired, section 20 which in effect constitutes a frame, may be omitted, and the picture or message may be printed directly on section 2|. Moreover, if desired, the upper corners of the display portion may be notched as shown at 31 to leave side edges 38 which give the effect of the upright stands of an easel.

The construction of Figs. 7, and 8 is similar except that the support and easel portions of the card fold counterclockwise over the top of the card. In this modification, I have illustrated the device with the frame portion omitted.

The sections 4|, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, and 41 are divided by fold lines 50, 5|, 52, 53, 54, and 55. The section 4| is the display section. Section 42 lies fiat upon its back extending down part way to permit fold line 5| to serve as a hinge. Section 43 is the upright portion extending from hinge 5| to the triangular base comprising sections 44, 45, and 46, while part 48 of section 41 is glued to section 43 to hold the parts assembled.

While the parts are in flat position, sections 43, 44, 45, and 46 are folded counter-clockwise about the card until part 49 of section 41 can be glued to the back of section 43. As in the previous modification, this package can be opened by tearing between sections 48 and 49.

It will be clear that in either modification the display section may be reversed if desired, that is the fold line may be at either the top or bottom of the card.

As will be seen, this device provides in one position a flat card that can be readily sent through the mails with its picture or message completely protected. Upon receipt, it can easily be ,converted substantially into an easel to mount a photograph or card suitable for display, upon a desk, mantle, or bookcase, or wherever desired.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim:

1. A greeting card having a display section, a

back section attached to one edge thereof and extending from said edge to an intermediate horizontal line to serve as a hinge, an intermediate section attached to said back section and of 5 a length adapted to extend to one edge of said display section, a plurality of stand sections attached to each other and to said intermediate section along fold lines, and being proportioned to form a substantial prismatic base, and a gummed section attached to said stand sections.

2. A greeting card having a display section, a back section attached to one edge thereof, an intermediate section attached to the other edge ,of said back section to form a hinge and of a length to extend to the bottom of said display section, a plurality of stand sections separated from each other and from said intermediate section by fold lines, three of said stand sections being of a combined width to extend to the top of said display section and other stand sections foldable over the top of said display section, separated from said three sections by a fold line, and a gummed section attached to said other sections.

ALBERT MATHEWSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 588.636 Engstrom Aug. 24, 1897 

